Different carpet fibres have unique characteristics which determine the price and performance of a carpet.
Carpet should be chosen according to the best style and texture for an installation. For example, tight low loop carpet will offer minimal pile distortion and look better in high traffic areas than a chunky large loop.
Remember that expensive, luxurious carpet is probably not the best performer in high traffic areas.
Loop pile
Loop pile products maintain exceptional appearance since there are no exposed yarn tips and only the sides of the yarn are exposed to wear and stress. In general, loop pile carpets stand up to heavy traffic better than cut pile carpets.
Level loop
Loops of yarn of uniform height, which wear well and tend to hide footprints.
Multi-level loops
Multi-level loop carpeting, possibly created from chunky yarn, gives a more textured or 'berber' appearance.
Cut Pile
Cut pile is the most desired type of construction and is suitable for most areas of the home.
Velvet
Dense construction and low pile height, with fibres tightly twisted and close together to create a rich, smooth velvet surface.
Saxony
A variety of level cut pile styles with distinct upright tufts. These may vary in appearance from loose to dense constructions in a range of pile heights.
Frieze or Hard Twist
A cut pile where the yarns are twisted and heat-set in position, which helps hide footprints and vacuum marks.
Shag Carpeting
Longer pile with a shaggy appearance.
Carpet surfaces absorb or reflect light in different ways according to their construction and the finishing process applied to their tufts or pile.
This can significantly change their appearance.
Carpet design is a combination of colour, pattern and texture. Modern contract carpets offer virtually unlimited options in this respect, from plain, discrete finishes to exciting, vibrant ones which enhance their surroundings. Even extreme design effects can be achieved without any loss of wear performance and long-term appearance retention.
From the luxury of wool to the latest sixth-generation nylon yarns, the different types of fibre used to make a carpet have an impact on the performance of your carpet and its suitability to different areas of your home.
Nylon
Nylon fibres provide excellent resilience and abrasion resistance, are exceptionally colourfast and can be dyed into a wide variety of rich colours. Nylon is resistant to staining when treated with a stain-resistant repellent. Today's greatly improved 'treated nylon fibres' enable easy removal of soil and most common household food and beverage stains through professional cleaning.
Polypropylene
Naturally stain- and fade-resistant, polypropylene BCF is the fastest growing carpet fibre, now representing more than 60% of all fibres used in the South African carpet industry. Because the fibre is naturally moisture-resistant, it is dyed during the extrusion process. Polypropylene is most commonly used in loop pile constructions and offers exceptional value for money.
Polyester
Polyester carpets are popular for their bulkiness, softness and colour clarity as well as their excellent stain- and fade-resistant properties. Polyester offers consumers the highest possible combination of performance and value.
Acrylic
This is a widely used synthetic fibre in carpeting. Providing the characteristics and feel of a wool carpet, but at a significantly reduced price.
Wool
About 1% of the carpet market consists of products made with wool fibre. Wool has excellent aesthetic properties, and even though modern synthetic fibres offer superior performance, they have not fully achieved the natural patina of wool. Although wool does not have the resistance to abrasion or moisture absorption that synthetic fibres do, it does clean well and therefore 'ages gracefully'. Wool carpets are the most expensive.
Blends
Different fibres can be mixed to create carpets with various qualities in performance and style. A particularly good blend is 80% wool mixed with 20% nylon. More modern blends combine polypropylene with nylon.
The carpet industry has been hard at work developing eco-friendly carpeting, made partially from post-consumer recycled polyester.
These innovative “green” carpets offer all the advantages of regular carpets while making our planet a better place.
Eco-friendly underlays are also available such as:
Van Dyck Carpets Eco-Lay
Carpeting has many proven benefits that you may wish to consider when choosing a floor covering for your home.
Safety
Carpets are soft and resilient and provide a safe, non-slip surface underfoot for children and the elderly. With injuries due to falls a prominent feature in worldwide accident statistics, it makes sense to choose a floorcovering that provides a measure of protection and minimises the risk of injury.
Health
The dust-trapping properties of carpeting not only reduce the need for sweeping and dusting, but make carpets more hygienic than other floorcoverings because dust acts as a carrier for germs, allergens and other contaminants. Research has proven that textile floorcoverings actually REDUCE the incidence of asthma and allergic reactions, if vacuumed regularly with an efficient vacuum cleaner.
Insulation
The dense pile of a carpet and its backing layer act as heat insulators. The carpet fibres trap small air pockets that retain heat longer, so not only does a carpet feel warmer and more comfortable underfoot than a smooth floorcovering, it helps a room retain as much as 10% more heat.
Affordability
Modern synthetic fibres make today's carpets about the most affordable and stylish floorcovering choice you can make. With the variety of colours, patterns and textures available, the decor and design possibilities with carpeting are endless and its sheer softness, elegance and comfort make it ideal for all areas of the home.
Sound Absorption
Carpets are simply the best at absorbing sound and creating a relaxing environment in your home. Carpeting virtually eliminates impact noise, as this is absorbed almost immediately, ensuring that the ‘life' of noises in a carpeted environment is only half as long as one where smooth floorcoverings have been used.
Easy Maintenance
Carpet is a practical, hardwearing and resilient floorcovering choice, with a surface that doesn't scratch, scuff or splinter. It is easy to install, easy to clean and requires minimum effort to maintain. The cost of maintaining your carpet is also relatively inexpensive when compared with many smooth floorcoverings.
Durability
Today's modern fibres and technologically advanced construction methods mean that carpets are looking better and lasting longer than ever before. Most manufacturers of quality carpets back their products with comprehensive guarantees and warranties that will offer you the most important decor consideration of all - absolute peace of mind.